Spring Recipes

For Spring Recipes think green salads, asparagus dishes, fiddleheads, apricots and artichokes. Eating with the seasons not only helps us to access the maximum nutritional quality of the food, and it also helps to lessen our environmental impact.

Some of my favourite spring recipes include this Wild Fennel Pesto, this Simple Vegetable Crustless Quiche and this Pearled Barley Risotto with Asparagus.

Baked Asparagus Pearled Barley Risotto with Lemon and Hazelnuts

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This simple baked asparagus pearled barley risotto helps save on time in the kitchen, and the resulting risotto is higher in fibre, more filling and more nutritious than the classic risotto. Using seasonal asparagus is a great way to celebrate this high prebiotic vegetable. One serving of this dish provides 15 grams of fibre – more than half of our daily requirement!

Learning different ways to make familiar things can help keep our brains sharp. NPR posted an article titled “Learning A New Skill Works Best To Keep Your Brain Sharp.” While the rest of us are busy buying into expensive supplements and “superfoods” to increase brain power, these seniors took up new skills to prevent dementia and the results of the study were impressive – significant memory gains after 3 months! This asparagus pearled barley risotto is a new way to prepare a traditional favourite – and turns out it is higher in fibre and easier to make!

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Roasted Rhubarb Apple Crisp – 6 Ingredients [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

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This roasted rhubarb apple crisp recipe is so simple – with only 6 ingredients and minimal prep time, it is the perfect springtime dish. The crisp topping is based on oats, and is free of refined flour and refined sugar, making it a healthy high-fibre dessert.

Why roast the rhubarb you may ask? Simply to save on dishes and prep time. A conventional rhubarb crisp will require that the rhubarb and apple be cooked on the stovetop to break down prior to putting in the oven with the oatmeal topping. By baking the rhubarb and apple first you cut back not only on dishes but also time spent in the kitchen. This is one of my favourite crisp toppings – I’ve finally mastered the flour-free crisp and I am so excited for you to try it!
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Lebanese Wild Fennel Pesto Recipe

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This Lebanese Wild Fennel Pesto recipe is not your typical pesto. The addition of dates and hazelnuts makes a delicious spread that pairs amazingly with goat cheese and seedy crackers. A variation of this recipe was shared by a friend Heather, and was passed on to her from a Lebanese friend. I loved the recipe so much, and the fact that it uses a widely available ‘weed’ I wanted to share it onwards.

Eat your weeds with this simple wild fennel pesto recipe! So many of our invasive weeds are edible including the beloved Blackberry Bush and the familiar Dandelion weed (see Wild Edibles – Dandelions, How To Harvest and Women’s Health). Wild Fennel is a common weed originating from the Mediterranean, and while it resembles dill, it offers a distinct anise, or licorice, aroma and flavour. This Lebanese Wild Fennel Pesto Recipe uses freely available weeds, combined with local Vancouver Island hazelnuts for a truly local dish.
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Beetroot Dip with Cream Cheese [5 Ingredients]

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This simple and delicious Beetroot Dip with Cream Cheese is only five ingredients! It is a great way to explore this versatile vegetable which seems to always be in season. Serve it with some Homemade Seed Crackers for a nourishing snack or light meal.

One thing I have learned from having a weekly vegetable box is this – beets are always in season. From June, straight through to November, they haven’t missed a beet, and even the winter edition is set to include more of this tasty vegetable. I love enjoying beets in this Beet Apple and Kale Salad with Walnuts and Dill and this Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Green Beans. Now, I am sharing a delicious and simple Beetroot Dip with Cream Cheese… and the best part? It’s only five ingredients!

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Dandelion Root Latte with Turmeric and Ginger

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This Dandelion Root Latte with Turmeric and Ginger offers a nourishing drink, filled with seasonal ‘medicines’. Dandelion Root is prized for its role in women’s health, as well as being recognized as an important prebiotic food.

I’ve shared some of my favourite features of dandelions spring-time nourishment in my previous post Dandelion Root Benefits – How To Harvest and Women’s Health. Why I am so passionate about this common weed is that it is one of the first greens to make an appearance after the cold winter, and it is widely available to those who wish to make use of this wild medicine. The roots are also highly regarded in herbal medicine and can easily be transformed into a nourishing alternative to your morning coffee.

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Vegan Ranch Dressing with Hemp Hearts

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This simple and delicious Vegan Ranch Dressing with Hemp is packed full of nutrition and taste. With only five ingredients it is an easy way to dress up a salad, and also tastes great on Buddha bowls or as a healthy dip for vegetables.

Hemp hearts are currently a hot topic and for good reason. They are an easy protein source, packed full of essential fatty acids, locally grown, and super versatile. I love hemp so much I’ve shared my favourite milk alternative Hemp Milk, and this yummy nutrient-dense snack Hemp and Sunflower Seed Pâté in the past. This Vegan Ranch Dressing Recipe with Hemp is my new favourite way to incorporate hemp into my day. The creaminess of the hemp lends itself to this dressing, and I love it with shredded kale, beets, and carrots on top of fluffy quinoa.
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The ULTIMATE Guide On How To Make Salad Dressing

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Use this guide to make your own salad dressing at home. Homemade dressings can be just as delicious as they are simple and are a great way to turn an average salad into something special. I’ve also included tips on how to maximize the nutrition in dressings, as well as flavour variations for the best tasting dressing at home.

I love converting salad skeptics, all it really takes is a delicious dressing! Let’s face it, there is nothing exciting about a runny and bland dressing. The trick to a delicious salad dressing is getting the ratio of creamy fats and tart vinegar or citrus just right, and don’t forget the healthy and aromatic additions such as garlic, mustard or ginger. See below for my top tips on how to make the best salad dressing!

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Simple Vegetable Crustless Quiche with Feta

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This simple vegetable crustless quiche is a great way to use up leftover vegetables in a healthy and high protein meal. It is a great meal for kids as the grating of vegetables when combined with the eggs and cheese is a sneaky way to get a whole lot of veggies in!

The abundance of zucchini is a guarantee that summer is in full swing. Creative uses for zucchini have taken over my Pinterest news feed – ranging from stuffed, to chips, to zucchini noodles. People are mad about this summer veg but no need to get too fancy, zucchini can produce some quick and easy dishes as well. This Simple Vegetable Packed Crustless Quiche with Feta recipe is exactly that. No stove stop required combined with 2 1/2 servings of vegetables per serve and a whole lot of protein!
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Raw Beetroot Salad with Kale Apple and Dill

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This Raw Beetroot Salad with Kale Apple and Dill is the perfect all-season salad and so simple to put together. The dressing is the perfect combination of rich balsamic and tangy mustard with a hint of sweetness.

What I love about this Raw Beetroot Salad with Kale Apple and Dill is that it showcases some of the best autumn and winter produce and can help to carry us into Spring. The heartiness of the kale and grated beets allow for this salad to be made in bulk – no soggy lettuce here. The sweetness of crisp apples and the combination of dill with beets help to round out this salad to make it truly something special.
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Vegan Buddha Bowl with Lentils and a Miso Tahini Dressing

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This Vegan Buddha Bowl with Lentils and a Miso Tahini Dressing is the perfect mid-week meal. An easy throw-together meal that uses whatever leftover vegetables you have on hand, topped with brown lentils and my favourite homemade dressing.

Who said that cold-season vegetables have to be boring. Salads have taken the sideline and roasted vegetable dishes are taking main-stage during these colder months. I love the combination of roasted vegetables with plant-based protein, smothered in a creamy homemade dressing for a simple mid-week meal. This Vegan Buddha Bowl with Lentils and a Miso Tahini Dressing is a great versatile dish and an easy way to use up any leftover produce in your fridge.
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Asparagus Crustless Quiche with Cottage Cheese

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This simple and seasonal asparagus crustless quiche with cottage cheese is a fun play on the traditional quiche. Cottage cheese is very high in protein, and this crustless quiche provides over 14 grams of protein per serving to help keep you full. Making a crustless quiche is easy, and makes this dish a simple midweek meal.

Have you ever seen how asparagus grows? Being one of the first vegetables of spring, it is justly celebrated by all who are awaiting the new freshness of the year. At Pedrosa’s Asparagus Farm in Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island, we marvelled at how each individual spearhead pokes itself up from the dirt, commencing its daily journey towards sunlight. We were told that in just one warm day, each spear can grow… and grow… and keep growing until it resembles a 4-foot tree! This Asparagus Crustless Quiche with Cottage Cheese is a celebration of this springtime vegetable, and when combined with high protein cottage cheese it makes for a light spring meal that is also high in protein.
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No Fuss Healthy Baked Quinoa and Kale Patties

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Food is incredibly social and food is meant to be shared. The occasion of eating a meal with friends is more about nurturing the sole than nurturing the body. With spring in the air, BBQs and potlatches are in the foreseeable future – no better time to feed and nurture your favourite people! (like you need an excuse)
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Spring Recipes

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